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Dec. 30, 1930 W A, KRENTLER ,786,5404

Patented Dec. 30, l193 NrrED sTATEs emi-3m'v i-'Fics' WALTER A. KRENTLER, OF DETROIT, MICI-IIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO KRENTLER-ARNOLD HINGE LAST COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN LAST Application filed September 14, 1927. Serial No. 219,408.

the last parts to' prevent their separation or' disalinement, and which device embodies 'separate members connected by yielding' means arranged to'exert a force tending to shorten the over-alllength of the device by .moving said members relatively in opposte directions.

` A furt-her objectis to provide a connecting` device which will lend relative latcral rig'idity to the last parts. and the construction of which is such as to reduce the liabilitv of b'reakage to a minimum and facililatcs Llt) assembly.V A further object is to provide a device for the purpose which willrequire the cutting away for its inscrtion, of but a minimmn partof the last body and which may be constructed of steel stampings or puuchings, thereby rcducing the cost of manufacture andiincreasingr its strengzth. It is also i an objcctto so mount the device rcl'ative to the knuckle connection of the last parts as to otl'er resistance to relative turning` movement of the parts from their extended or collapscd positions and to secure last strength and rigidity by connectiug the ends of said device at a distance from the last ltnucllc and well within the thick bodyv piortion of each last part. further object `is to secure the several advantages inhercnt in the construction all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

lith the above and other ends in` view the invcntion consists in providin; y connecting members lniw'ing' o verlapi'ied adjacent ends with said ends connected together by yiclding means tending to'movc said members `relativcly in'a lo'ngitudinal direction and shorten the over-all length of the device, thereby exertiug a force to hold the last parts in firnr 'movement contact while permitting relative turning The invention further consists lin the construction and arrangement of the connectinY device, and in certain other new and useful features, all as hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a last illustrative of an embodiment of the present invention, and showing portions of the last broken away and in section to more clearly disclose the invention; i v v Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. l and showing the last in collapsed position i Fig. 3 is a horizontal section substantially upon the line Ill-HI of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing` a slightly modified construction, and

5 is a section upon the line V-V of Fin:

Hinged lasts, or lastsembodying a pivotal connection between their heel and toe portions, are usually connected by members which require the cutting a of large portions of the wood of the heel and toe parts, thus wcakening` these parts. In order to withstand the heavy pressm'es applied to the last during' the leveling, heelina', and truing,` Operations in the manufacture 'of shoes by 'present day methods, it is yery important that the last parts be cut awayv to a minimum extent` so that the insertion of the means for hinging' said parts and holding them firmly together in all of their relative positions, will not weaken the last body and cause splitting' or cracking of the wood u'uder such straiu. lt is also imperative that. the last parts bc prcssed toward each other and rigidly held against relative latcralor twisting movement, and that the means connertinp; the parts 'oiller sufficient resistance when the last is extended, to prevent collapsinp; or partial collapsin` during' pulling' over and lasting Operations. v

This connection must therefore bc very strongnand rig'id in-order to take the strains towhich it is subjected, and 'should be simple in construction to facilitate assembly and take up a minimum of space in the last body.

The last construction may be snnplified by: providing means for conneeting the last parts, whichineans Will continuously exert a force tending to hold said parts in tirm contact Vwith each other, as byt this arrangelnent, the connecting pintle or other pivot member Vmay be dispensed with and one part of the last, such as the toe part 1, may be forined with a socket 2 and the' other part, or heel 3 tornied with a knuckle et to fit into the socket; this being a simple, well knwn form of last. W

The device -for connecnng and' holding the last parts in firm contact,rwith the knuckle -l or one part irmly seated in the-socket 2 in the other part, comprises preferably, a link 5 and a pai'i` of links 6 with the end portion of the link 5 interposedibetween the ad; jacent ends ot the links and with the overl lapping ends of all of the links forined with alined holes to receive a volute spring 71 which is ormed by rollinc` a strip ot spring steel lengthwise upon itselt into a cylindrical coil of width to extend through the openings in all of the links with the edges o't the strip flush with the onter surfaces ot the links This coil 4is of greater diameter than the diameter of the holes in the links and is theretore compressed slightly when inserted, thus by its tendency to expand' diametrically,` holding' the links yieldingly with their openings alined. The opposite or free outer end's of the links are :tormed with openings to receive piv'ot pins 8.

The toe portion 1 ot the last is forincd with a cut or recess 9 centrally ot the body of said portion and extending well forward into said body. and the heel portion 3 is also 'tormed with a Vertical cut or recess 10 in longitudinal alinement with the cut 9 and extending transversely oit' the knuekle 1 and into the body of the heel portion. These cuts 9 and 10 are of a width transversely of the last, substantially equal to the over-all thickncss of the assemblcd links 5 and (i so that said links will fit within said cuts or recesses and be guided laterally against tilting` or twisting movement ther'ehy. These cuts are` lrowever, of a width and Shape vertically of the last to permit of the free swing'ing movement with these cuts, of the connection formed by these links, when the heel portion is turned upon its knuckle relative to the toe portion.

The connecting links 5 and G are first assembled as described, by inserting' the spring 7 within the alined openingi's in the overlapped ends ot the linksl thus formine' a conneeting unit, and the last is then assembled by placing this conneeting unit within the cuts 9 and 10 provided to receive the same, and the pins Sare then driven into transverse openings 11 in the heel and toeportions through the openings in the free ends ot the links, said 'holes 11 being so located that the driving in of the pins will fnrther compress the spring 7 which will thus exert a force 3 to yieldingly hold the knuckle of the last part firmly seated in its seat on the toe part. 'Furfither, these holes to receive the pins 8 are so located relative to the axis of turning' of the knuckle in its seat, that when the heel part is in extended position, as shown in Fig. 1, a line c'onnectingl the Centers of pins 8 will lie below said axis, and when the heel part is in the position shown in Fig. 2, said line will be above said axis. Theretore in swinging from one position to the other, the distance between these pin centers must increase as the connection swings past the center of the knuckle, the spring,v being compressed slio'ht ly to allow 'tor such increase, and thus the spring,` exerts a yielding force to hold the vheel portion turned to the limit ot its movemen't in either direction, as well as to constantly force the knuckle yieldingly toward its seat at all times. This arralujement' ot pivotal connection relat-ive to the tnrning` axis ot the last parts, is disclosed broadly in my United States Patent nnmbered 1,094r-,153 of April 21, 1914-.

111 Figs. 4 and 5 a modified construction of connectinn' means between heel and toe portions of tne last, is shown, said modified con' struction comprising,r a pair ot link members 12 and 13, each formed with a longitudinal slot intermediate its ends, said slots being tornied by Cutting the-metal along,Y parallel lines, and at o ne end ot' the slot. and strikino' out the severod portion latcrally to Vform an integral lng 14 at one end of each slot. The two links or parts are then placed with the lug on one link projectingl into the slot ol' the other link so that the two links are hold in alinement but free to slide relativelyin a longitudinal direction. coiled spring;` 15 is then inserted in the slots between the lujes and under compression so that said spring; will o vcrt a torciat all times tending` to movtI the links rclatively and shoroen the ovcr--all length ot the device' The two links may move relatively against the action of said spring and when assembled in the last parts in the same manncr as' previously described, said spring will yieldingly hold the knucklo of the heel part seated in the socket ot the toe part and will yield to' permit the s'vvingzing` of the heel relative to the toe as the ,connection swings from one side to the other ot the pivotal axis 'of the last parts, as disclosed ;zenerically in my patent numbered 1091,1 53 above re'tcrred to.

A connccting device ot this Character is very simple in construction and .cheap to manutacture, and being tormed of steel stampings or the likeI is very Strona` and rifzid. The construction further len'ds itself to assemhlyvin a last as a unit and in, a manner preelnding breakat'e in nsesgiving' long' li te to the last, the parts ot which are tirmly held Ino thereby in firm contact with each other and against lateral or twisting movement.

Changes in the details of construction and ai-'rangement to suit the type of last used and to conform to other conditions of use, are contemplated and 1 do not therefore` limit v myself to the particular construction shown.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

1. The combination With a last comprising a toe part formed with a lsocket and a heel part formed with a knuckle. to seat in said socket, of a connecting device comprising a pair of link members having overlapping adjacent ends movable relatively, in a longitudinal direction and openings at their outer ends, yielding means connecting'the overlapping ends of the members and under compression to move said members relat-ively in opposite longitudinal directions, said heel and toe parts of -said last being` formed with alined recesses extending'into the body of the parts and transverseljv of their knucklejoint connection, said recesses being of a width transversely of the last substantiallyl equal to the thickness of the connecting device When in place within said recesses, and pivot pins extending transversely of the heel and toe parts and through the 'openings in the outer ends of the members of the connecting device to secure said connecting device to said last parts, said pins being so located relative to the knuckle aXis of the last as to swing said connecting device from one side to the other of said axis When the last parts are turned relatively and further compress said yielding means during such swinging movement.

2. A connecting` device for hinged lasts including a plurality of link members having overlapping adjacent ends and formed With openings in said overlapping ends, and `velding means within said openings forming the whole connection between said members andlexerting a force tending` to move said members relatively in a longitudinal directionand to hold the last parts in yielding contact with each. other.

A connecting devicefor hinged' lasts including link members having overlapping adjacent ends formed With alined openings, said members being also formed With pivot openings at their opposite ends, and a flat spring coil inserted inl said alined openings with its axis extending transverselv of said overlapped ends and under compression for ,vieldingly connecting said ends of the members.

4. A connecting device for hinged lasts including` a spring coil of cylindrical form, and a plurality of relatively movable members pivotally connected to the last parts and tirranged to compress said spring in a direction transversel)T of its aXis by relative movement of said members upon turning movement of the last parts, said spring being carried by said members and unsecured to said last parts.

5. Aconnecting device for hinged lasts in- 'spring material of a width to extend through said opcnings in said ('n'erlapped ends and connect said members` 'said coil being'contined within said openings b v its radial expansion and arranged to be radiallv com'- pressed by relative endwise nnn'miient'of'said members.

7. A hinge adapted for uniting parts of pivoted last together, comprising a member adapted to be pivotally secured toone part of the last, a second member adapted to be, pivotally secured to the other part, said two parts having recesses therethrough adapted to receive a uniting element, and a eurved plate spring fitted Within said reeesses to unite said last parts and permit a relat'ive yielding movement therebetween.

8. A last -comprising a fore part and a heel part adaptedfor relative pivotal movement lllpOll 21 I'tlllSVQI'SG {lXlS, and 111921115 fOl' COH-' necting` said last parts pivotally connected to said fore part laterally of said axis and to said heel part laterally of and at the opposite side of said axis, for sWinging movement in a plane at right angles to said axis and across said axis asv said last parts are turned relatively, said connecting means embodlving an element adapted to vield to increase the over- -all length of said means as the same swings across said axis in the turning of said last parts relatively.

9. The combination with a last having a toe part and a heel part pivotally connected for relative turning movement upon a transverse axis, of means for conecting said last parts including members pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the last parts at opi osite sides and laterally of said axis to extend transversely of said axis and swing thereacross upon rclative tnrning of the `last parts upon said axis, a11d' viel1ling means connecting the adjaccnt ends of said members and adaptedto ,vield as said members swing` from side to side of said axis across the same.

10. connecting device for hinged lasts including'longitudinally aligned link members formed with openings in their remote ends to receive pivotpins for connecting said members to the heel and toe parts of the last at opposite sides of the axis of the pivotal connection of said parts, and a spring member coni move the links towardoaoh other and draw the last parts into contact.

11. A last having a fore part and a heel part, adapted i'or movement relative to each other, a hng'od member socnred to one part, a second hingod memb'er secnred to the other part, said hing'od members being free to move relatvoly in a loi'igitudinal direction, and yielding means connecting` the adjacent ends of said hingod n'ien'lhers and exertng a force thoreon to l'novo Said members rolatively and said lat parts toward each other.

12'. A last having' a-fore part and a heel part adapted for pivotal movomont 'relative to each othor upon a transverse aXis, n'ioans unitng said last parts comprsing members yielding connected at their adjacent end l and pivotally connected at their opposite ends to said heel part and fore part at opposito sides of said axis to swing upon their pivotal connoctions to said last parts and move from side to ido across Said` axis upon turning' movemcnt of said partnpon Said axis.

In testimony whoroof I afiix my signaturev WALTER A; KRENTLIGR. 

